A large-scale Israeli study indicated efficacy Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to prevent symptomatic infections with coronavirus. Clalit, the largest of Israel’s four health care providers, launched a study on Sunday that compared infections to 600,000 Israelis who received the vaccine compared to 600,000 who were not immunized.
The study found a 94% decrease in symptomatic infections and a 92% decrease in severe cases of the disease among those vaccinated. He said that “the effectiveness of the vaccine is maintained in each age group”, especially one week after the second dose of vaccine.
The researchers said that the preliminary findings of the ongoing research “aim to highlight the population that has not yet vaccinated that the vaccine is very effective and prevents serious diseases.”
Israel launched its COVID-19 vaccine campaign in December. Since then, more than a quarter of the population – 2.5 million people – have received two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and more than 42% have received the first shot, according to the Ministry of Health.
The country of 9 million people, which is currently easing restrictions imposed during the third nationwide blockade, aims to vaccinate everyone over the age of 16 by the end of March.
“The publication of preliminary results at this stage is meant to emphasize to the unvaccinated population that the vaccine is extremely effective and prevents severe morbidity,” Clalit said on Sunday.
He added that the study covered people who received the second blow at least seven days before being tested and will be extended in the future.
“With each additional week that passes, we will be able to make the assessment more accurate.”
Accuracy would improve as subjects are tested 14 days or more after the second dose, he said.
AFP contributed to this report.